No. 2 Syracuse (8-0, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) survives a gritty game against No. 9 Loyola (5-2, 0-0 Patriot League) 9-7 in Baltimore. The Orange were on the ropes entering the 4th, trailing 7-6 after giving up four unanswered goals in the 3rd period before a late rally put them past the Greyhounds.
The Greyhounds’ unlikely star was Anna Rudy, she totaled four goals this game and blitzed the Orange for two quick goals in under 60 seconds in the 3rd period. She was having the game of her life posting a career-high in both points and goals, on the other side the Syracuse offense struggled for much of this game. Lauren Spence was a major reason for this, her seven saves kept the Greyhounds within striking distance for the entire game.
Meaghan Tyrrell was contained for much of the contest, with only two points for the attacker who was getting double and shadowed by the Greyhounds defense. With a game like this, the spotlight shifted toward Syracuse’s defensive specialists like Coco Vandiver who led the game with three caused turnovers. Vandiver along with Katie Goodell and Bianca Chevarie boosted the Orange and helped their goalie Delaney Sweitzer make some major defensive stops in this game.
SAVE for Delaney Sweitzer on the free position! It's her fifth of the day.
— Syracuse Women's Lacrosse (@CuseWLAX) March 15, 2023
📺 ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/OwDcjNUooY
One of the biggest stories coming into this game was the absence of their draw control specialist Kate Mashewske who is out for the remainder of the season. Orange lost the draw control battle 14-5, the lowest number of DCs won by the team this season. This was a major problem in the second half as the Orange only captured one DC in the 30 minutes of play.
Coach Kayla Treanor was aware of this but is confident that the team can improve on this going forward.
“Olivia (Adamson) had basically one day to prepare,” Coach Treanor said. Adamson took a good portion of draws and her Coach is confident in her ability to improve. “She hung in there, it was tough and she’s only going to get better.”
Despite the draw controls, Syracuse was able to come together in the 4th and scrap out the victory. Coach Treanor praised her team for the effort down the stretch.
“We knew we had a really tough 3rd quarter, I think it would be easy for a lot of teams to fold there,” Treanor said. “This team rallied and they knew they needed to step up and make big plays.”
Two in a row for the Orange! Meaghan Tyrrell scores to put the Orange up 8-7 with 7:03 to go.
— Syracuse Women's Lacrosse (@CuseWLAX) March 15, 2023
Tune in to ESPN+ for the exciting finish. pic.twitter.com/WvC1tuv4f6
While Syracuse had a lot to be happy about after this game, that can’t be said for the home team as they dropped their 2nd straight game with a lead entering the 4th. Head Coach of Loyola Jen Adams acknowledged the team’s inability to finish, and how that’s a conversation she’s had with the team.
“It’s just the ability to execute when the pressure is on at the end of the game,” said Adams. “This team will get there.”
The Orange head down to Durham on Saturday to take on the No.15 Duke Blue Devils (4-4, 0-3 ACC) for their 4th conference game of the year. The Blue Devils are currently on a three-game losing streak and look to correct that as the No. 2 team in the country comes into town. The game is set for 12 p.m. on Saturday.